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What makes this year special is I'll be watching them all with my ten year old girl. She's shown interest in the movies over the years and I think she's old enough now.
I'll do it over the course of 7 weekends. One Friday night, one Saturday morning, one Saturday night, one Sunday morning (unless it goes into the October half term and we can watch one or two in the evenings)
After we're done with Spectre I'll probably spend the rest of that weekend showing her different movies.
Dr No
From Russia With Love
Goldfinger
Thunderball
You Only Live Twice
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Diamonds Are Forever
Live And Let Die
The Man With The Golden Gun
The Spy Who Loved Me
Moonraker
For Your Eyes Only
Octopussy
Never Say Never Again
A View To A Kill
The Living Daylights
Licence To Kill
Goldeneye
Tomorrow Never Dies
The World Is Not Enough
Die Another Day
Casino Royale
Quantum Of Solace
Skyfall
Spectre
My own Bondathon has come to the very distinctive Licence to Kill. TLD is the last one that really feels like an old-school Bond film, while from GE onwards the films feel more ”modern”. LTK falls somewhere in the middle, mixing elements of both.
Combine that with the first radically different take on a Bond film, excluding the ending to OHMSS that is, LTK is very much a beast of its own. One that I truly love as well. Timmy shines again, the stunts are amazing and we get one of the best, if not the best, plots of the series. LTK is one of the very best of the bunch!
LICENCE TO KILL
James Bond: 5
Timothy Dalton confirms to be my favourite incarnation of the character, playing Bond with intensity, determination and class. One small moment I really love is after Sanchez’ demise when he leans, bruised and exhausted, against a rock and sighs when he realises it’s all over. An image that says a thousand words. This man is a top notch actor!
Bond girls: 5
I absolutely love Pam Bouvier. Competent, sexy and charming. One of my favourites. Downs a Martini without too much fuzz or bother as well. Lupe is ok, a bit ditsy, but not in such an amount it spoils this category.
Villain: 5
Another favourite: Franz Sanchez. A likeable yet extremely menacing foe. Not your usual villain too, for which he receives extra points as well.
Henchmen: 5
Quite like the whole Sanchez gang. Benicio Del Toro and Wayne Newton are great additions, though my favourites are Heller, Truman-Lodge and Killifer. Especially those last two really crack me up. Funnily enough sleazy Krest is my least favourite.
Allies: 4
David Hedison is a great Leiter and Sharkey is very likeable as well.
MI6: 5
Robert Brown has an impressive M scene. Caroline Bliss as Moneypenny brings, in a very short scene, the character’s most vital intervention since OHMSS. However the star here of course is Desmond Llewelynn, who reaches his absolute moment suprême of his long Bond career.
Plot: 5
So far, I think LTK has the strongest plot of the series although OHMSS comes close. The way Bond uses his wits to gain Sanchez’ trust and turn him on his own loyals is a masterstroke. So is the film’s use of Bond’s friendship with Felix. Love the finishing touch with Leiter’s lighter as well.
Gunbarrel & title sequence: 5
Apparantly the title sequence of LTK is not very well-liked amongst fans, but I think it’s a good effort. I like the photgraphy theme, the casino stuff and that last still. It’s so 80’s but that’s what I like about it. Dalton’s gunbarrel is still great of course with Kamen’s music adding a touch of anticipation as well.
Sets & locations: 4
Ok, Bond in the US has never been a perfect match and it isn’t great here either, though as a cat person I love the Hemingway House. LTK makes up a lot in the second half though: the casino, the meditation centre and Sanchez’ gorgeous villa are all top notch.
Cinematography: 4
Same story here, the first half isn’t great, the second makes up for it. The PTS is fine, but those warehouse scenes are really poorly lit. It gets better though, I love the shot of the boat with Bond and Pam in it after the Barrelhead scene, for instance. The scenes in Mexico are very atmospherical as well and the tanker chase feels suitably dry.
Pre-title sequence: 4
Sets up the story with a great stunt.
Climax: 5
Best finale of the series with the most satisfying villain death of them all.
Vehicles & gadgets: 5
A fine Rolls there, Mr. Bond. Back in the day when Rolls-Royce made stunning luxury cars and weren’t BMW’s on steroids. The Dentonite toothpaste, the palm-reading sniper rifle and of course Leiter’s lighter. Not too bad, is it? I could detract one point for Bond driving an American car, but he probably had no other choice at the car rental.
Action & stunts: 5
Opens with a great stunt, has more fine stunts throughout the film and ends on an exhilarating tanker truck chase.
Dialogue & humour: 5
I like how this darker Bond film actually has a lot of funny moments too. I chuckled quite a few times to be honest.
Music score: 4
Not the very best of Bond scores but Michael Kamen’s music fits the film very well. I especially like Pam’s theme and mysterious cue Kamen uses when Kwang is keeping an eye on Bond outside the casino. Also cracking version of the Bond Theme.
Original songs: 4
Fine title song, Dirty Love isn’t bad either but it’s Patti LaBelle’s end title song that’s one of my favourites of the entire series. Not too fond of Wedding Party, but that’s a minor gripe.
Costumes & attire: 5
Controversial but, given the fashion of the times, I think Timmy wears some fine stuff. Especially the casual attire when he’s at Sanchez’ villa having coffee with his host is very stylish. Maybe it’s the way Tim just rocks everything he wears. Anyway, Pam wears a really lovely dress in the casino and again during the climax. Great stuff.
Snobbery: 4
Well, a case of Bollinger RD isn’t too shabby, though it might be a tad too much.
Ian Fleming: 5
The examples of Flemingness in this film are too much to sum up, but I can’t leave out the fact that Bond’s character is an almost exact copy of his literary counterpart here. Also, love how an unused
scene from the LALD novel forms the premise of the film.
Total: 93%
——
When the wonderful If You Asked Me Too kicks in, I always feel a bit melancholic. In a good way that is. LTK forms the end of an era. It’s been a great era, with four phenomenal Bond actors.
On to the next.
Last night my daughter and I watched "Dr. No" and this morning we watched "From Russia With Love". She seemed to get quite into them.
Next weekend it's "Goldfinger", "Thunderball", "You Only Live Twice" and MAYBE "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". I can't wait to see what she thinks of those!
Enjoyed your thoughts on "Licence To Kill". Very accurate in my opinion.
Then I'll watch the Craig Bonds in release order since they are so tightly connected to NTTD.
That actually sounds like a good approach as well @Walecs. Might do that next time.
I've done the different directors order, like watching all Guy Hamilton movies. Do you know of any other fun ways to plan a Bond marathon?
Just Dr. No straight through to Spectre. Annually. In Autumn as the nights start to draw in.
Terrence Young (Cool, serious, edgy Bond)
Dr. No
From Russia With Love
Thunderball
Guy Hamilton (Fun, campy, easy breezy Bond)
Goldfinger
Diamonds Are Forever
Live And Let Die
The Man With The Golden Gun
Lewis Gilbert (Grand adventure/fantasy Bond)
You Only Live Twice
The Spy Who Loved Me
Moonraker
John Glen (80's action Bond)
For Your Eyes Only
Octopussy
A View To A Kill
The Living Daylights
License To Kill
Not a bad idea that...
She REALLY enjoyed OHMSS. She commented a few times on how good she thought it was - and I could tell that she thought the ending was a bummer.
I explained to her that OHMSS is a turning point in the movie series and is important for Bond's character - in that it's referenced again in some of the future movies we're going to be watching.
Hopefully we're going to be watching the next three this weekend.
Interestingly - my girl insists that she thinks Dr. No is the best film so far.
;)
I can't wait until we get proper stuck into the Roger Moore era, movies like TSWLM and MR. She's gonna go CRAZY for those!
GOLDENEYE
James Bond: 4
Pierce Brosnan has a solid debut as Bond, though his best 007 performances are still to come.
Bond girls: 4
Izabella Scorupco makes for a likeable and competent Bond girl, which is always welcomed. The ‘evaluation girl’ isn’t the greatest however.
Villain: 4
Sean Bean is always a reliable addition to any cast and even though he’s no Goldfinger or Scaramanga, his former-friend-gone-bad is still up there with the better villains.
Henchmen/women: 5
While Boris Grishenko and General Ourumov are undeniably entertaining, its Famke Janssen’s Xenia Onatopp who is the the absolute highlight of the film. Both incredibly sexy and utterly insane. This girl kills for pleasure, literally.
Allies: 4
Jack Wade and Valentin Zukovsky are very amusing, though my absolute favourite in this film is the rather overlooked Dmitri Mishkin.
MI6: 3
I feel like Judi Dench and Samantha Bond, though far from bad, still have to find their mojo as M and Penny. Desmond is back though he also has two more memorable scenes under his belt in future entries. Tanner is ok, but I’d take Robinson over him any day.
Plot: 4
The new baddie being a former colleague and friend is a fine addition, though the rest is a bit pedestrian.
Gunbarrel & title sequence: 5
A whole new, shiny and moving gunbarrel with Pierce very confidently strolling through it and a distinctive 1990’s music cue. Excellent show. Even better though is Daniel Kleinman’s metaphorical and very arty fall of communism as the title sequence. Best in the franchise, any franchise, any movie, ever!
Sets & locations: 4
Monte Carlo is very Bondian in my book. St. Petersburg is pretty good too and the sattelite dish is the last of many great Derek Meddings’ models (at least I think it is, please correct me if I’m wrong). Never been too keen on Severnaya though.
Cinematography: 4
Gets the job done, though that beach scene is a bit too unnaturally orange.
Pre-title sequence: 4
The dam, the bungee jump, the infiltration, the banter with 006, the action afterwards: Bond’s very last on-screen moments behind the Iron Curtain give us an excellent pre-title sequence though the plane stunt stretches it a bit too much.
Climax: 5
After LTK’s impressive tanker truck chase, GE’s sattelite dish finale is the second adrenalin-inducing climax in a row.
Vehicles & gadgets: 4
The pen and the watch are definitely memorable. GE also sees the return of the classic DB5 when that wasn’t yet done every single time, ergo I quite like it here. The BMW Z3 is a fine looking roadster though underused in such a horrible way they even forgot to put a licence plate on it.
Action & stunts: 4
Pretty great throughout. One small thing however, the tanker chase never really thrilled me all that much. It’s fine but I find practically every other action scene better in this film.
Dialogue & humour: 5
GE is full of witty dialogue and it also has a wide range of excellent actors to perform them. Great stuff.
Music score: 5
So here we are. I have never made it a secret I absolutely adore Eric Serra’s electronic score to GE. Maybe that’s because I like Serra’s sound in other (French) films as well. I’m a fan of the man and this is my favourite non-Barry score of the franchise.
Original songs: 5
Tina Turner’s title song is a belter and up there with the very best. No controversy there. On the other hand, I also really like The Experience of Love, did I already say I really like Serra?
Costumes & attire: 5
Is there anything more stylish than tailored Italian suits? I can honestly only think of Zegna being more stylish than Brioni, but that’s about it.
Snobbery: 4
Drinking Bollinger in your DB5 while sporting a stylish outfit isn’t half bad. Pity he doesn’t make many connaisseur remarks, but it appears those days are sadly over.
Ian Fleming: 3
A move away from Dalton’s incarnation doesn’t necessarily make for a bad film, but it nevertheless is a step away from Fleming’s Bond.
Total: 85%
Even though it’s not up there with the Dalton entries, GE is nevertheless one of the best Bond films in my book. It will be difficult for any of the other ‘modern’ entries to top it.
There is so much action in this film that it doesn’t really do much to me either. Action for the sake of action. You can do that once in your film, but here it’s there in abundance. I wasn’t invested in it and frankly I’m quite disappointed.
TOMORROW NEVER DIES
James Bond: 4
At times extremely, and enjoyably, comfortable. At other times a bit forced. An example of the former are the Q scene and the bedroom scene with Paris. Example of the latter: discovering Wai Lin’s gadget arsenal.
Bond girls: 4
I was impressed with Wai Lin, not only because her skills manage to keep some action scenes mildly interesting, but because Michelle Yeoh is also very confident in the way she handles her dialogue. Teri Hatcher, well, an interesting but underdeveloped character dumped after the first half to squeeze more meaningless action into the film.
Villain: 3
Good idea, mediocre execution.
Henchmen/women: 3
Stamper is ok, Gupta I can’t stand and Kaufman is brilliant. Vincent Schiavelli is a lot of fun to watch but he’s regretfully only in one scene.
Allies: 2
Jack Wade was fun in GE, here he goes over-the-top and he’s so stereotypically American I wish he said goodbye after the last film.
MI6: 4
Judi Dench and Samantha Bond on the other hand kick into gear in this one. Desmond’s scene is great as well. I just love how Pierce keeps on checking his red outfit. Also, I have always liked Robinson. A great addition to the staff. If TND has one thing over its predecessor it’s in this category.
Plot: 2
As I said, I absolutely hate how they just squandered such a great premise. The media is extremely powerful and news framing is its weapon. Somewhere there is an excellent film in there, but oh no let’s invest in epileptic action scenes.
Gunbarrel & title sequence: 3
Compared to GE merely ok I’d say though I do love that shot of the woman jumping off that diamond into what you can only describe as binary depths.
Sets & locations: 3
Hamburg is nice and so is Ha Long Bay. All the rest is rather colourless and lacks atmosphere. Never liked the stealth boat either.
Cinematography: 4
It’s hard to make uninteresting locations interesting but Robert Elswit does very good with the material he’s given.
Pre-title sequence: 4
One of the few strong action scenes in the film.
Climax: 3
It’s not the worst, but it’s so generic at times. Explosions, fire, dual-wielding gunplay, more explosions, boom, bang, boom. Luckily for us Bond has a good oneliner in between: ‘Tuned out there for a second’. You’re not alone Pierce.
Vehicles & gadgets: 4
I can go along with BMW sports cars, though it’s not what I would prefer. But a BMW sedan? Really? Love the mobile though, I have to admit.
Action & stunts: 3
The stunt work is great but I’m not invested in it.
Dialogue & humour: 3
For each Dr Kaufman scene there is a main villain trying to have a go at kung-fu.
Music score: 4
David Arnold’s first Bond score is good but sometimes a bit chaotic during the action scenes. Still though, an agreeable mix of old and new. I especially like “Hamburg Break In” and “The Sinking of the Devonshire”.
Original songs: 4
I, for one, quite like Sheryl Crow’s title song, though “Surrender” would definitely have been a fine choice as well.
Costumes & attire: 4
Some more Brioni is always appreciated, though that blue shirt during the motorcycle chase is rather horrible. Guess he didn’t have a choice.
Snobbery: 2
This aspect seems pretty much gone unfortunately.
Ian Fleming: 3
Hardly anything Flemingesque though we see a glimpse of it when Bond is alone in his bedroom drinking wodka while adjusting a silencer.
Total: 66%
That’s the lowest score so far, safe for the unoffiical NSNA. Up to the next one. TWINE is a film I’ve always liked, I hope it holds up.
I’m less fond of A Pleasant Drive in St. Petersburg which I find a bit messy and chaotic. But that was left out of the film anyway, so no harm done.
The rest of the score/soundtrack I absolutely adore.
By the off-chance there are more Eric Serra fans around here I would definitely recommend some of his work for Luc Besson: Le grand bleu, Nikita, Léon and Le cinquième élément ;).
How's it been going for you? Still slow going, I'm guessing, if you're working up towards the release of NTTD. I'm up to TSWLM, myself.
Got through LALD today (great, though perhaps didn't make a huge impact or really wow me as much this time. Might drop a spot or two in my overall ranking) and TMWTGG (about the same as always - a bit of a whimper, one of my least favorite installments in the series. The cons heavily outweigh the pros here. Bad title sequence and title song, some painfully incompetent allies, particularly Lieutenant Hip, some weak fight scenes, etc. I do enjoy the return of J.W., though, and the car chase/bridge stunt are phenomenal, as is Christopher Lee's performance).
Only 24 weeks? Seems a lot but time will fly...
Still have to do TWINE-SP. This might get tenser than I thought.
I thought the opposite. Seems like it´s not that long, but it will feel like a small eternity.
DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
Usually find it a bit of a drag, but not a bad viewing this time. Still don't like Charles Gray as Blofeld. He was much better as Henderson in YOLT! And Jill St John is still annoying, but she is attractive. (Why does Tiffany do so many changes when she meets Bond first?)
Connery is Connery, effortless in his portrayal, but there is a jadedness there. Love the opener with Bernard Lee though (Lee doesn't look well at all here!)
Of course the film is stolen by Wint and Kidd, unique and amusing and threatening all at once. The movie suffers when they are not on screen, love the final showdown on the ship! The lift fight is still good and that's about it as the action highlight, nothing else remotely thrilling. The final attack on the oil rig is awful!
Other then that it's just an ok Bond movie, not exciting or particularly memorable. Watchable is all can be said about it!
Next up YOLT!